One Saturday in Lyon: a fool and his itinerary

Check and see if Les Halles stalls are at all open that early in the day -- the outer door might be unlocked, but that doesn't mean anything in the bins will be uncovered and manned or womanned.

Due to time constraints and the laws of physics, you should stick to the old town -- this means tourist food at tourist prices, except for the exceptional Aux 3 Maries restaurant in a tres historique plaza of the historic old town
http://aux-3-maries.fr
which is where you should go for lunch.

Dinner is served exactly nowhere at 5pm. At least nowhere worthy of the name Lyonine.

The gelato place is just a few minutes' walk from the Maries plaza -- try a few different tastes, but buy whatever fruit flavor is in season in early May. Truly fabulous. Don't fall for the knockoff gelato surrounding the real shop, which will tempt you with more-modern signage and slightly lower overchargings.

Consider a stop at another key spot besides the old town -- either the main square Place de Terreaux for the city hall and Beaux-Arts museum or the Place de la Croix Rousse -- if you go there on a market day there will be stalls open early.

I'm cringing a little bit at the idea of having to eat in the old town, but I also think that going someplace actually excellent will burn too much time.

I love it, but here is the change I would make: eat lunch later and stretch it-you are in France. Save dinner for Paris, later in the evening when you've had a some time to unwind, etc. The food will be better as well.

I too like it all but the lunch at 12 and dinner at 5 idea. I can remember starving in Dijon one day when we had been too busy working during the lunch hour. We found out that the nicer restaurants closed at about 3 and didn't reopen until about 7:30. Drats we had an evening class scheduled that night so we ate grocery store food once again, double drats. The trick is to not wait too late for that late lunch because you probably aren't going to get a nice multi course dinner before you need to catch your train back to Paris so make it a wonderful multi course late lunch perhaps.

Maybe Les Halles would be best for dinner, too. Each business has hours posted if you click through them separately at http://www.halles-de-lyon-paulbocuse.com/commercants/. The first restaurant I clicked appeared to offer fresh oysters from 8h à 22h30.

Wish everyone on this forum could write as amusingly as you!

You are permitted to bring wine or champagne or food on the TGV.
There is a Pret a Manger and a Monop' Daily which are open around 6h30, and a Paul and a Brioche Doree open before that.
You will have to provide your own wine opener and glasses.
It's not a long journey, but every minute counts...

I'd go anywhere with the name Paul Bocuse included. You might have to reserve at the bouchons, because they fill up really fast. You could probably pass by before lunch or dinner and do this in person, but I'd do some research before you go and reserve over the phone.

Mike, i don't know what to say except to express appreciation for the fun you bring to the Forum. But I must warn you that there will be no dinner at 5 pm !!!!

A few suggestions:

Regarding transport from Les Halles to Vieux Lyon, it's much less expensive to go out of the north doors of Les Halles, cross the street (Cours Lafayette -- there's a crosswalk right in front) and catch either C3 or C13 headed west (two bus lines - these are "lignes fortes," and generally are large, articulated electric buses). Either one would work for this short trip. Go down a couple of stops and disembark at the Saxe-Lafayette stop (the bus will stop right in front of a large pharmacie with garish green neon. You signal a stop by pressing a red button on vertical handrails scattered around the bus, especially near doors.

Once off the bus, continue west a few yards to the Saxe-Lafayette intersection. You will be at the NE corner of the intersection and you need to cross over the the SW corner to catch your connection. After crossing Saxe and Lafayette, walk a few steps south on Saxe to the bus stop in front of the Théâtre du Tête d'Or (it's just beyond the outside tables of the restaurant next door).

There, you need to catch bus 27. Note that this stop also is served by other buses so make sure you're getting on the right bus. Bus 27 is a smallish diesel bus. It makes the trip up the hill to its terminus at Vieux Lyon, where you will have to get off. The stop there is situated between the Cathédrale Saint-Jean Baptiste and the bottom of the funicular. The Saint-Jean cathedral is worth a visit -- 15 to 30 minutes as you wish. It is typical of many larger French cathedrals and has a medieval clock that is pretty interesting.

The return is just the opposite. The bus system's website (www.tcl.fr) is a good website, and the TCL app is very useful if you will have a smartphone with you (TCL is short for Transports en commun lyonnais). Almost all bus stops have electric reader boards that tell you when the next bus is due, and a day pass is only 5€ 60 (alternatively a carnet of 10 single-use tickets [good for transfers within an hour] are 16€ 60. Pay on the bus and it's 2€ per ticket (also transferable within an hour). TCL has a commercial office at Part Dieu where you can buy a pass. They're also available at many Tabacs that display the TCL sign. Make sure you validate your ticket or day pass when boarding, or soon thereafter, or you'll run the risk of learning details of TCL's amendes system from a friendly gray-jacketed enforcer.

Once in Vieux Lyon, if you're taking the funicular up to la Basilique Notre Dame de Fourvière (an extremely ornate church), I would check out the two Roman theatres around the corner before heading back down to Vieux Lyon. You will be there in July, so Les Nuits de Fourvière (http://www.nuitsdefourviere.com/) music festival will be ongoing then -- it's a chance to see an interesting combination of ancient theatre and modern staging, sound and lighting. If you're lucky one of the acts will be practicing or doing a sound check.

To return to Vieux Lyon from Fourvière, you can take the funicular, but you could also take one of the leafy, shaded pedestrian paths through Parc des Hauters that are very pleasant especially when it's hot, as it's likely to be in July. Going downhill (as you would be doing) is easier than going uphill.

As for dining, there are several places to eat at Les Halles. There are a couple of good ones in Vieux Lyon. Keep away from most but I can second Aux Trois Maries that was suggested by someone else -- my wife and I ate there several times when we lived in Lyon and were never disappointed. Daniel et Denise is another pretty reliable choice near Cathédrale Saint-Jean Baptiste. There are three Daniel et Denise restaurants in Lyon, and this one is as good as the others, which is pretty good.

Good luck. And if you're fixed on staying non-sober the whole trip, I suspect some of the friendly gents outside Gare Part-Dieu would be happy to share their malt liquors or wine, especially if you slip them a few coins.

Mike, Fun writing! Chuckled all the way through it. Thanks.

I agree with K that the C3 tram line is a pleasure, mass transit at its best, but the other buses not so much, and you need to have your wits about you to find the stops. If you're soaking in booze, the taxi stand is easier to manage so long as you figure out that the official stand is outside the other side of the train station and it can be a bit French (formal, unhurried) but still a better trade-off IMO --
trade the time saved by taxi-ing as far as possible to do as K says and walk down the hill on the paths mentioned. That is a fun walk, even funner if something is going on in the outdoor theater, and there are a couple of early exits from the path that can give you a feel for the streets, too, and end up back in the heart of the old town.

Mike, you haven't said anything about being interested in museums. Otherwise, I'd have a lot more to suggest poking your head into while you're there inbetween drinks.

Mon Dieu! So many learned replies -- I am certainly more the edified about the locale of Lyon!

• Avirosemail: Aux 3 Maries for lunch it is! And thanks for directions to the gelato place -- I plan to impress my wife by not getting us lost in a strange city for once. Actual milage may (and probably will) vary.

• Alan: That sounds like a good plan, especially considering what other people have said. Also, it leaves room for yummy gelato and perhaps . . . some cheese!

• Mona: Oddly enough, the best lunch I had in London was at a Whole Foods (meat and cheese plate!), so not every grocery store is a loser -- I'm sure the stores in Dijon were very good, but not as good as a sit-down lunch!

• Laura: You are flat-out a gift! I often find myself wondering if you're not actually Rick in disguise. If I have enough time. I'll give your suggestion a try. And thank you for the URL -- so many yum-yums!

• epltd: It's best that my kind of writing be taken in small doses, lest it start to look like the inmates are running the asylum! And thanks! :D

• chexbres: Ooo! Ok, I thought everything would be closed at that unholy hour, but glad to know something will be open, even if it's only my yawning mouth!

• Kim: I'm here all week -- try the veal! :D

• K: You're trying to get me lost, aren't you? I can picture you typing away, guffawing with a hearty French laugh, saying, "This Americain will never find his way home!" I have a sad history on public transport in France. I got lost on the 69 bus in Paris. If it wasn't for the big, pointy thing in the 7th finally telling me where I was, my skeleton would still be riding that bus. And the less said about my experiences on the RER, the better. Your instructions are excellent, however, and I'm saving them in case I do start to feel overly adventurous. Sadly, I won't be there in July, but in May, so things might be a little different during that time. Also, no one told me there was delicious MALT LIQUOR in France! You mean the whole time I'm drinking Cotes du Rhone plonk, I could be drinking Olde' English 800 instead?! This fact isn't in a certain guidebook -- I'M LOOKING AT YOU, MR. RICK STEVES!

• Wray: As long as the Webmaster doesn't send me the "Alright, that's enough crap outta you" email, I'll keep writing here!

Thank you, everyone, for being wonderful and erudite as always! I'm never less than stunned by the depth of knowledge and passion to share that the folks in this forum possess. You're all wonderful people and a gift to the unworthy such as myself! :)

-- Mike Beebe

One other thing I forgot to mention -- when at the Basilique Notre Dame de Fourvière, don't forget to go downstairs to the lower level. It's not as over-the-top ornate as the main level, but it has some interesting religious artwork from other nations. There's also a good view of central Lyon over the edge of the hill behind the basilica.